Toilet flange assembly and method for installing a toilet

ABSTRACT

A toilet flange and method for installing a toilet is disclosed. The toilet flange assembly comprises a toilet flange portion and a support portion. The toilet flange and support are adapted to be permanently connected to each other using a self-locking mechanism. The support comprises a rectangular or square support base and an inner cavity with two studs or bolts to attach the support to the toilet. The toilet flange may further comprise a cylindrical section, an upper rim section and a cap to prevent the falling of debris into the waste water pipe. The cap can be easily broken up and removed before installing the toilet. The toilet flange may be used in either new or existing toilet installations to allow better toilet stabilization and easy installation of floor tiles.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application claims the benefits of priority of U.S. Patent Application No. 62/817,262 entitled “TOILET FLANGE ASSEMBLY AND METHOD FOR INSTALLING A TOILET”, and filed at the United States Patent Office on Mar. 12, 2019, the content of which is incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention generally relates to the field of toilet flanges. More particularly, the present invention relates to the field of toilet flanges having a support base for toilet stabilization.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Nowadays, conventional toilet flanges have mainly been designed to connect the toilet to the wastewater drain without much consideration on the impact on the support and stabilization of the toilet and on the installation of floor tiles.

Some toilet flanges also comprise anchoring mechanisms to provide some level of support and stabilization, while others also aim at facilitating the installation of floor tiles.

In one example, the U.S. Pat. No. 9,297,157 discloses a toilet flange support kit having a removable support base using bolts to attach simultaneously the toilet flange to a support having a square shape and to the toilet vase. This square surface is equally divided into two removable parts with seams to allow these two parts to attach to each other.

There is still a need for a toilet flange and support base aiming at simplifying the installation of a toilet and aiming at providing an improved stabilization.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The shortcomings of the prior art are generally mitigated by a new toilet flange with support mechanism for anchoring the toilet flange onto the floor.

In one aspect of the present invention, a new toilet flange with support is provided. The new toilet flange with support comprises a toilet flange and a support.

Both the toilet flange and the support are adapted to allow them to be attached to each other. The toilet flange and the support may further comprise a snap-in feature to allow them to be permanently attached to each other.

The support further comprises a support base having an inner circle area where the toilet flange may be snapped in place from the top of the support as the toilet flange is pressed downwards. The support base is further adapted to comprise at least two studs or bolts to allow the installation of the toilet flange with support to the toilet.

The toilet flange may further comprise a covered area at the top surface to prevent the falling of debris into the wastewater pipe. This covered area may be broken up and removed before installing the toilet.

The support may be square or rectangular and may be made of plastic or resin, or any other material that is waterproof, antibacterial and corrosion resistant. The support may further comprise multiple screw locations for mounting the support base onto the floor. The advantage of a rectangular shape is to facilitate the installation of floor tiles without the need for cutting the tiles in a circular or round shape.

In another aspect of the present invention, the toilet flange is configured for a wastewater drain and comprises a drain portion configured to be attached to the wastewater drain and a supporting portion. The wastewater drain further comprises a first connecting member and an aperture adapted to allow the flow of wastewater while the supporting portion comprises a second connecting member and an aperture adapted to receive the periphery of the drain portion. The drain portion and the supporting portion are adapted to be attached to one another by means of the first and second connecting members.

The drain portion and the supporting portion may be adapted to be removably attached to one another and the second connecting member is adapted to become rigidly fixed to the first connecting member in the vertical direction. The second connecting member may remain rotatably movable with respect to the first connecting member when rigidly fixed to the first connecting member and the second connecting member is able to self-lock to the first connecting member.

The first connecting member may comprise a groove and the second connecting member comprises a protruding edge, the groove and protruding edge being configured to be mated to one another. The first connecting member may comprise a protruding edge and the second connecting member may comprise a groove, the groove and protruding edge being configured to be mated to one another. The supporting portion may comprise a fastener configured to anchor a toilet bowl and the fastener comprises a bolt.

The fastener may be integral with the supporting portion, the drain portion comprises a removable cover configured to limit access through the aperture and the drain portion comprises a breakable cover configured to limit access through the aperture. The supporting portion may comprise a cavity adapted to receive a fastener and the supporting member is rectangular or square shaped.

In a further aspect of the present invention, a method for installing a toilet is disclosed. The method comprises the steps of inserting and connecting a drain portion of a toilet flange to a drain pipe, adjusting a supporting portion of the toilet flange to obtain a desired orientation of the toilet, connecting the supporting portion to the drain portion, and mounting the toilet to the toilet flange.

The method may further comprises any one the steps of affixing the supporting portion to a surface around the drain pipe, affixing the toilet to fasteners of the toilet flange, removing a cap covering an aperture of the drain portion, breaking a cap covering an aperture of the drain portion and installing flooring having a geometrical shape compatible with the support portion.

Other and further aspects and advantages of the present invention will be obvious upon an understanding of the illustrative embodiments about to be described or will be indicated in the appended claims, and various advantages not referred to herein will occur to one skilled in the art upon employment of the invention in practice.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above and other aspects, features and advantages of the invention will become more readily apparent from the following description, reference being made to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective top view of an embodiment of a toilet flange in accordance with the principles of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective bottom view of the toilet flange of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a side view of the toilet flange of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of an embodiment of a toilet flange drain portion in accordance with the principles of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a perspective top side view of an embodiment of a lower supporting portion of a toilet flange in accordance with the principles of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

A novel toilet flange with support will be described hereinafter. Although the invention is described in terms of specific illustrative embodiments, it is to be understood that the embodiments described herein are by way of example only and that the scope of the invention is not intended to be limited thereby.

Referring now to FIGS. 1 to 3, an embodiment of a toilet flange 100 is shown. The toilet flange assembly 100 typically comprises a toilet drain portion 200 and a toilet supporting portion 300. Both the toilet drain portion 200 and the supporting portion 300 are adapted to be attached to one another.

In some embodiments, the drain portion 200 and the supporting portion 300 may be adapted to connect to one another. In some embodiments, the drain portion 200 comprises a connecting member, also referred as top portion or top rim section, 215 compatible with a connecting member or portion 315 of the supporting portion 300. In a preferred embodiment, the drain portion 200 comprises a groove portion 230 adapted to tightly and permanently receive a lip member or edge 330 of the supporting portion 300. The connection between the two portions 200 and 300 is typically embodied as a snap-in system.

Now referring to FIGS. 4 and 5, in some embodiments, the drain portion 200 comprises an inner hollow portion adapt to let a flow of wastewater. The hollow portion is formed by an external wall 210 and the connecting member 215 adapted to the shape of the toilet drain. The external wall typically has a cylindrical shape. More particularly, the diameter of the external wall is typically 3 or 4 inches. As in other toilet flanges, the external wall 210 shall snuggly fit in the inner portion of a wastewater drain.

Referring now to FIG. 5, the supporting portion 300 typically comprises a support base 310 having an aperture 305 and at least two bolts or studs 350 protruding from the support base 310.

In some embodiments, the connecting member 215 of the drain portion 200 may further comprise an upper lip 240 and a lower lip 220 to provide, in conjunction with a groove 230, a self-locking mechanism with the connecting member 315 of the supporting portion 300. In such embodiments, the connecting member 315 of the supporting portion 300 may further comprise an edge 330 adapted to protrude radially inwards towards the center of the aperture 305 between the top portion of the rim 340 and the lower portion of the rim 320. The protruding edge 330 shall be adapted to lock in the groove 230 at the periphery of the connecting member 215 of the drain portion 200. Understandably, any other self-locking mechanism may be used as the drain portion 200 may comprise a protruding edge and the supporting portion 300 may comprise a groove or cavity section adapted to receive the said protruding edge.

The drain portion 200 may further comprise raised ribs 250 adapted to receive a wax member typically used to seal the drain of the toilet assembly with the toilet flange assembly 100.

In a preferred embodiment, the studs or bolts 350 are incorporated or integral with the support base 310.

In some embodiments, the supporting portion 300 may further comprise a plurality of cavities 370 adapted to receive fasteners to anchor or fix the support base 310 to a surface, such as the floor.

In a preferred embodiment, the support base 310 is rectangularly or square shaped. The rectangular shape aims at facilitating the installation of the supporting portion 300. Indeed, as floor tiles generally have a square or rectangular shape. The bolts or studs 350 are used to anchor the toilet flange with support to a toilet bowl.

Typically, the support base 310 is made of plastic, resin or any other material that is waterproof, antibacterial and/or corrosion resistant. Understandably, the support base 310 may be made of any other rigid or semi-rigid material.

Referring back to FIGS. 1 to 3, an embodiment of an assembled toilet flange 100 is shown. The drain portion 200 is locked to the supporting portion 300. In such an embodiment. The groove 230 in between the top lip 240 and lower lip 220 receives the inner lip portion 330 of the supporting portion 300.

In another embodiment, the snap-in upper outer rim 240 of the toilet flange 200 may slide in place to completely contact the upper inner rim 340 of the support base 310. The snap-in center inner rim 330 of the support base 310 may snap in place to contact the snap-in center outer rim 230 of the toilet flange 200. The snap-in lower inner rim 320 of the support base 310 may contact the two half lower outer rim sections 220 of the toilet flange 200.

In some embodiments, the drain portion 200 may further comprise a temporary cover area or cap (not shown) covering the aperture 280 of the drain portion 200. In such embodiments, the temporary cover typically prevents debris or elements to fall in the drain. The temporary cover is typically attached to the inner periphery of aperture 280 formed by the external wall 210. The connection may be made with any method allowing easy break-off the cover from the periphery of the aperture 280. In use, the covered area or cap shall be broken up and removed before permanently installing the toilet on the flange system 100

In yet other embodiments, once the drain portion 200 is locked into the supporting portion 300, the supporting portion 300 may be aligned by pivoting the supporting portion 300 around the drain portion 200. In a preferred embodiment, the pivoting results from the edge of the supporting member 300 moving within the groove 230 of the drain portion.

A method to install a toilet is provided. The method comprises inserting and permanently connecting a drain portion 200 of a toilet flange 100 to a drain pipe, such as gluing the drain portion to the drain pipe. The method further comprises pivoting a supporting portion 300 to align the protruding studs or bolts to obtain the desired orientation to the toilet. Once aligned, the method further comprises fastening or attaching the supporting portion 300 to the surface around the drain pipe. The method may further comprise installing the toilet over the flange assembly 100 to allow the protruding bolts to fit into apertures of the toilet. The method may also further comprise attaching the toilet to the studs using any type of fastener, such as a nut.

The method may further comprise breaking or cutting a temporary cap covering the aperture 280 of the drain portion 200 of the flange assembly 100. The method may also comprise using a self-locking mechanism integrated in the supporting portion 300 and in the drain portion 200 to lock the drain portion 200 to the supporting portion 300.

The method may further comprise installing one or more tiles around the square or rectangular shape of the supporting portion 300.

While illustrative and presently preferred embodiments of the invention have been described in detail hereinabove, it is to be understood that the inventive concepts may be otherwise variously embodied and employed and that the appended claims are intended to be construed to include such variations except insofar as limited by the prior art. 

1) A toilet flange configured for a wastewater drain, the toilet flange comprising: a drain portion configured to be attached to the wastewater drain and comprising: a first connecting member; and an aperture adapted to allow the flow of wastewater; a supporting portion comprising: a second connecting member; and an aperture adapted to receive the periphery of the drain portion; wherein the drain portion and the supporting portion are adapted to be attached to one another by means of the first and second connecting members. 2) The toilet flange as claimed in claim 1, wherein the drain portion and the supporting portion are adapted to be removably attached to one another. 3) The toilet flange as claimed in claim 1, wherein the second connecting member is adapted to become rigidly fixed to the first connecting member in the vertical direction. 4) The toilet flange as claimed in claim 3, wherein the second connecting member remains rotatably movable with respect to the first connecting member when rigidly fixed to the first connecting member. 5) The toilet flange as claimed in claim 3, the second connecting member being able to self-lock to the first connecting member. 6) The toilet flange as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first connecting member comprises a groove and the second connecting member comprises a protruding edge, the groove and protruding edge being configured to be mated to one another. 7) The toilet flange as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first connecting member comprises a protruding edge and the second connecting member comprises a groove, the groove and protruding edge being configured to be mated to one another. 8) The toilet flange as claimed in claim 1, wherein the supporting portion comprises a fastener configured to anchor a toilet bowl. 9) The toilet flange as claimed in claim 8, wherein the fastener comprises a bolt. 10) The toilet flange as claimed in claim 8, wherein the fastener is integral with the supporting portion. 11) The toilet flange as claimed in claim 1, wherein the drain portion comprises a removable cover configured to limit access through the aperture. 12) The toilet flange as claimed in claim 1, wherein the drain portion comprises a breakable cover configured to limit access through the aperture. 13) The toilet flange as claimed in claim 1, wherein the supporting portion comprises a cavity adapted to receive a fastener. 14) The toilet flange as claimed in claim 1, wherein the supporting member is rectangular or square shaped. 15) A method for installing a toilet comprising: inserting and connecting a drain portion of a toilet flange to a drain pipe; adjusting a supporting portion of the toilet flange to obtain a desired orientation of the toilet; connecting the supporting portion to the drain portion; and mounting the toilet to the toilet flange. 16) The method as claimed in claim 15, the method further comprising affixing the supporting portion to a surface around the drain pipe. 17) The method as claimed in claim 15, the method further comprising affixing the toilet to fasteners of the toilet flange. 18) The method as claimed in claim 15, the method further comprising removing a cap covering an aperture of the drain portion. 19) The method as claimed in claim 15, the method further comprising breaking a cap covering an aperture of the drain portion. 20) The method as claimed in claim 15, the method further comprising installing flooring having a geometrical shape compatible with the support portion. 